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Zarmuda (City of the Deep)
Zarmuda was once a triangular jewel amongst the lizardmen empire, a great city of stone, wood and pure gold. Many centuries ago Zarmuda was amongst the largest cities, its borders were covered in misty marshland fed by the great Amaxon river, the longest in all the land, the water in the marshes was said to be crystal clear and cleansed the soul. A few hundred meters north the river opened up into a great delta covered in lush forest and thriving with life on either side beaches of golden sand and gentle tide cooled in the dusk breeze. ' ' Zarmuda was known for its great farms and glorious food produce, more than 40% of all Lustria’s rice and fish came from the city. The marshland was blanketed by thick rice paddy fields and the coast was dotted with boats and docks. The nearby sea teeming with shoals of fish. ' ' Once inside the cities three borders the orchestra of talking, hammering and the sizzling of meat or sorting of jewelry and trinkets hummed in your ears. The aroma of spices and fresh fish filling the air. Great frying pans and fires hung over walls full of simmering rice preparing to be shipped off to the corners of the continent, the sky littered with vast rotating columns of steam and smoke that plumed upwards to be whisked away on the gentle breeze. Above the mayhem of the street the temple district stood in its full glory, some of the greatest shrines ever to be seen spiked out of the city center. In the middle of it all stood the greatest temple of all, the eternal chambers, a great pyramid hung up on the arcane winds. Many Slann resided amongst it. its three walls made of pure jade and patterned with delicate gold inscriptions and carvings, the walls reflected the light in dazzling beams. The occasional sheen or Magical aura of a sacrificial sword still drenched and dripping with the blood of unholy creatures or the ambient luminous glow of a magical tome emitting pulses of cerulean light. In times of trouble great meetings would be held here, several Slann in the same place at the same time in physical matter was saved for only the greatest and most ancients of buildings, only Itza’s dynamic Monoliths could dare challenge this sanctuary. ' ' Further west of the city several great harbours lines the Amaxon river, colossal Gongs reverberating through the water forcing Itzl’s creatures to rise from the depths were they lurked for unsuspecting prey, the greatest of these creatures being Pliodons famed by the lizardmen for the use of them as beasts of burden and transportation. Pliodons were in the greatest abundance in the amazon river and were well used by the booming economy of Zarmuda. Huge traveling banda carrying supplies left the city daily to deliver food and resources to other thriving cities such as Tlaxtlan, Xhautec Qui’itak and Tlanxla; through its great artificial channels. Sometimes supply trains would run to cities such as huatl or even the Itza. Among the harbours and docks stood another great shrine, that which honored the god of water Tzunki. No creature of the deep could resist the shrines call and the water encompassing the shrine on both sides purified and turned a unadulterated Tzaq . Daily rituals would occur here, scraps of abundant food would be shared out among the rivers creatures and devoured within seconds. ' ' But all of this would not last forever, the great catastrophe changed all of this. Chaos quickly consumed their continent the unprotected docks and river stations swiftly overrun and drowned beneath a tide of demons, the city held back the initial attacks. Great shields and magical barriers were cast over the area, some extending far out enough to touch the coast and secure a fraction of the fields. But slowly and surely the barrier was beaten back and the fields destroyed and razed. Zarmuda’s population gradually fell as skinks and saurus starved. Days turned into months and the city still endured, soon the sky turned dark as storms of disease and change engulfed the continent. The sea raged and thrashed; the gigantic waves pelted the coast into submission as the essence of life and hope was ripped from the beaches and the cliffs crumbled away. ' ' Soon the darkness engulfed all and day and night were no more, Then amongst the eternal gloom great streaks of light parted the storm, skinks watched in hope, could the old ones be here to relieve the seemingly endless siege? The answer was received almost immediately as the light transformed from a pure white to a crimson of pure devastation. Trails of hellfire left in the wake of the unearthly projectiles, as each one pounded the city from above the shield weakend and faded, great arcs of magic and electricity splayed out as chunks of the great bulwarks and wardings were torn away. The cities foundations shook and threatened to collapse under every strike. The barrages of artillery continued for days, each time the city relapsed under the firepower but still held strong. The barrier was weakened and reduced to a decimal of itself, unable to save the city it was reduced to encompass only the greatest of buildings and temples. The rest of the city lay in ruin and defeat. ' ' Many more months past and the city center still held firm. Suddenly the artillery barrages stopped and weakened, leaving the city to recover, but this was only a warning, over the following days the sea rose in pure hatred destroying anything it came into contact with, obliterating the now overpowered coastline . The slann were at unease and sensed the incoming danger but there was nothing they could do, their limbs were mere bones and their mind numbed from the constant bombardment ' ' With a explosion of water a gargantuan tentacle of pure horror and annihilation erupted from the sea, Chaos had summoned a monster of absolute evil and terror from the deeps to obliterate the city. As the tentacle stretched into the sky several more burst out from the ocean to join it, in a display of power unseen by anything in the mortal realm the tentacles wrapped around the land encompassing the city ripping it from the land and dragging it to be swallowed by the raging tides. The Slanns attempts were futile. Nothing could stop this beast. With a planet shaking roar the land gave way huge chunks tumbling to be lost into the depths, the city split under the coils as writhing shadowy tentacles smashed any resemblance of civilisation. The barrier was instantly collapsed and gave away leaving the city open to attacks as it was swallowed by the once lifegiving sea. Demons attacked the city from all sides as the land fractured and shattered, piece by bloody piece the city was drowned and absorbed by the Tzatlmundi. every artifact, every scroll and every creatre. Nothing survived the onslaught. ' ' Thousands of years later the wounds of the land have healed and the lizardmen empire bounced back to a mere fraction of its once unchallenged strength. ' ' In recent times the ruins of Zamunda are still teeming with life but in a far different manner, Sometimes known as the city of the deep the once lustrous city now lies at the sea floor, A great atoll of coral and sea life has formed around the sunken city, the soil and nutrients dragged down with the city creating a perfect habitat for animals large and small, the water in the bay is Tzaq, clear and smooth. The waves gently lap at the golden beaches as they once did before in ancient times. At low tide parts of the ruins can be seen sticking out the ocean and reflecting the sun in dazzling beams, Many islands of lush forest or grassland litter the area, A teeming coral reef surrounds the foundations, many chambers and buildings have long been sealed or sunken never to be found again. Many pliodons and other such creatures live in the ruins, terradons and sea birds are more common here than almost anywhere else due to the abundance of fish and sealife. Not only have the animals made the most of this natural boon but also the lizardmen once incontrol of the city, Skinks and Kroxigors go out on rafts and creatures to haul back fish in handfuls. Many ports have been re-established and set up along the golden coast. Along the atol docks and storage houses have been constructed as the coral reef is packed with pearls, vibrant and exotic sea animals, medicinal corals and Long lost trinkets for those that seek them Zamunda is still known for its great food produce, a large amount of fish can be traced back to the city of the waves and the nearby reefs and islands. Many skinks are known to come to the city for more than fish and riches, but a religious pilgrimage to tzunki and to remember those that fell in the fight against chaos during the great catastrophe. Few temples in his honour have been erected on the islands to mark the places were the slann once lived. ' ' Cohorts of gathering skinks paddle out to claim a bounty of fish and eels, nets and javelins being the prefered catching methods. Occasionally a group of lizardmen will come in search of the most prised delicacy of the reefs, but catching it is no easy feat for scorpion eels swim deep among the Tlaxkai temples and find their way into the most perilous chambers, yet despite this many skinks still take the risk. Some have laid at rest on the seabed to join the city, whether it's the lack of oxygen, bite of a creature or violent current the outcome is the same. Another curious and valued creature of the city is Tzunki’s most sacred animal the turtottle, great beasts with immense and impenetrable shells, if a skink is lucky one of these shells might wash up on the beach to be turned into ornaments, armour or decoration. Coincidently the only creature in the whole of lustria known to prey on turttotles is the Octock, referred to as a tentacle beast that lurks in the deepest chambers and underwater caverns below the islands and city preying on all whom dare enter its hidden realm, these two beasts have often been compared to the story of how the city fell and the way the city held strong only to be crushed beneath chaos’s endless coils. Another now notable creature relatively new to the reef environment is the praised serpentacor. A dangerous creature of large size that wields a deadly and potent venom that is injected to its victims, its four flippers help its snake like body glide with a unnatural speed. This creature despite its size and strength has never been known to attack Lizardmen, legends say it leads skinks to pearls and hordes of lost artifacts, Not only that but serpentacors are said to have led skinks to the jade ruins of the still intact eternal chambers at the deepest part of the city half buried under the sand. But that last part is mere speculation and may just be stories told by exited skinks ready to leave their home city insearch of riches and fish in the obscure ruins. Sperpentacors are often Associated with sotek many skink priests say they are blessed by him so they should therefore be praised and protected. The ruins slowly erode away, and with them the memories of the once great city, now at rest in peaceful depths. Tales tell of solar engines and engines of the gods being kept locked away in chambers.May we hope these tales are true and the ruins can be reclaimed, the eternal chamber resurfaced and the city raised from the Tzatlmundi in tzunki’s and the other old ones honour, may we hope the lizardmen can reclaim the ruins and islands returning the city to a fraction of its former glory.